A Story for Dennis

Pastor’s Moment: “Dennis let me tell you a story, one that I do not tell. ”
“On 4th of Sept, on a rainy Thursday, I was raped by 8 men, thugs, 7 had pistols, 1 AK47. I was subsequently admitted to Nairobi Women’s-Hurligham, for a month.”
“…Rape, Dennis, is the worst crime. I can’t even say that it will ever be okay. ”
“..4th Sept 2014. The thugs carjacked me right at my house parking lot, made me walk for 3Km, under rain, bare foot in the mud…forced me to drink sewage water as we crossed Nairobi river, all this time them narrating stories of how best they’d kill me, after kidnapping me for a week and raping me senseless.”
“..and then it happened. They took turns, at times three at a go. They inserted their pistols in me. I feel violated to date. ”
“The doctors still say it is a miracle I made it.”
” What is more sad is that every month when I go for GVRC support group (Gender Violence Recovery Centre), there are tens of new members…children, elderly women, my age-mates…it is heartbreaking!”
“…Thankyou for listening. In case you need more details to this story, my recovery journey and everything in between, we can touch base”
After a while I ask her, “Can I share the story on Pastor’s Moment? It might encourage someone somewhere”
“That is Okay. Don’t mention my name. I hope it will encourage some lady struggling with the emotions. The restless journey within.”
“One time I might share with you my diary. ”
“That diary is one of the darkest places I know. It contains my ghastly cry. My hopelessness.”
“Me questioning God and His promises in Jeremiah 29:11, asking where He was on that night…”
“It is even so very worse because I had kept myself pure all my 28years, keeping myself as a perfect gift for my future husband on our wedding night…but for what?”
“For 8 riff-raffs bearing guns…”
“Well, when it gets dark in my life it gets pitch dark. ”
Then in those circumstances, she writes what is a sermon of the day;
“..And then there are other mornings…when I feel sure, when I feel like a daughter of God, when I feel that what I went through is nothing but an opportunity for God’s strength to be made perfect in weakness…for His GOODNESS and KINDNESS to be channeled through me…”
“Dennis, Those are the mornings I want. ”
“But then again I do not want to rush the healing, lest I do not pick up all the lessons God wants me to learn. ”
“So I am learning that at times it is okay not to be okay. “
Paul, the great Bible writer and evangelist was in a similar situation once.
He had been bitten by a poisonous viper, he had been shipwrecked, whipped by the Legendary roman whip, arrested, imprisoned and it could not get worse.
Faced with all that negativity and being brought to his knees quite literally, he sang and Praised God.
He then wrote, in Philippians 4:4, “ Rejoice in the Lord and again I say Rejoice”
Paul said Rejoice when facing his lowest moments and repeated for emphasis Rejoice.
The brave and beautiful lady who shared her story with us despite her emotional pain which is still raw, writes, “My pain is so that God’s Goodness and Kindness can be channeled through me”
“I will not rush to heal, let me be God’s vessel.”
It is for great people like those that I pledge to do all what I can to ensure those who attack women face the full force of the law, get rehabilitated in prison and for the victims get connected to the best sexual attack recovery systems that exist.
To you, I paraphrase Ruth’s word to Naomi and say, “where you go I will have gone, your pain shall be my pain and my assignment to turn to joy, your triumph, will be my triumph”
God Bless You and Keep You

Heartbreaking. The decision to forgive is the first step towards healing, and like most first steps, the hardest to take. May the good Lord increase His grace upon our sister and others going through the same trial to forgive, in Jesus’ name.